The Stonepool River is far less impressive in the Material Plane and due to its size and the current, it is not long before the party bring the ship to rest on the riverbed. They pack away the folding boat and proceed on foot, northward along the east bank of the river. Large grass plains stretch out between the river's rocky banks and the angular rocky facades of the hills to the north east.
Night creeps in and it's time to make camp for the night. Sticking to the river, but far away enough for comfortable ground, the party make camp. They divide up watch duty and proceed as the dark crawls in.
Edward is first and uses Familiar Artax to scope the wider area, all clear. Mornington is up next and half way through his watch he hears a disturbance to the east. Rocks clattering down a rocky hill. He rises and investigates, it's the dead of night, with little to no light to guide him. He spots a figure, humanoid for the most part, but cannot make out any particular features. He goes back to the camp to wake Crom and lights his bullseye lantern to survey the area.
A flash of movement, the grass rustles as something moves among the tall grass, then dragging footsteps are heard elsewhere. Something from the north, something from the east. Mornington catches another glimpse as a figure moves forward. He sees a patch of gore, flesh, twisted limbs. Some-thing stumbles into the clearing, lumbering towards the camp. A corpse of a body, bruised and bloodied, misshapen limbs, some too large for its size, some withered and small. Spiked protrusions jut out at all angles, and to make it all the more horrific, it has no discernable head.
Mornington shouts out to the others as this monstrosity closes in, its ghastly figure spotlighted by his lantern. Amarion snaps out of his elven trance and quickly draws upon divine magic to protect himself and bless his companions. Edward leaps up and slings fiendish blasts towards the approaching creature, one connects, though it barely seems to notice as it continues its pursuit. Crom charges in, flying into a rage and carving ribbons of flesh from it. It then returns the favour, one hulking arm sweeps out and grabs hold of Crom, it draws him in close, its spikes pierce into his body, it's rows of mandibles twitching in the flickering light.
A second cadaver horror bursts from the long grass and bolts towards Edward and Mornington. Amarion steps in its way and strikes at it with his warhammer. Mornington attempts to use vicious mockery, but discovers that these creatures are utterly mindless, immune to his psychic assault. Crom breaks free of the grapple he is in and continues to fight. Amarion takes a series of heavy hits as the the tree trunk arm of the horror smashes into him. Crom sees the elf paladin waver and breaks out of engagement to flank the creature fighting Amarion. The now idle horror lurches towards Edward who ducks away and then misty steps on top of a nearby hill. Amarion with holy magic sets his opponent alight in flames, crackling flesh and the scent of burning meat fill the air. The creature grapples Amarion, spikes wounding him all over, finding the gaps in his armour. Amarions body goes limp as he loses consciousness. Held in the grip of this mindless abomination.
Mornington finds himself face to face with the horror that had lunged for Edward. He drops his lantern in favour of drawing a weapon, the scene before him thrown into further darkness. A large, pustular arm raises up ready to flatten the nobleman. With a show of agile footwork, he darts, one way and the other, as the arm thuds into the ground again and again, barely missing him. Mornington, successfully dodging the attacks, slices back with accurate cuts from his coral scimitar. Edward now on high ground can see in the faintest of lights that they are in a terrible, terrible situation. He thinks quickly, drawing a dark waxed candle from his rucksack, a gift from his patron. He lays it down and with flint and stone quickly strikes a spark to light it. An oily scent joins the rising smoke as a blue flame ignites and grows in size. Edward pleads for his patron to help, reasoning that if they are to die here, no one will be able to achieve their mutual goal. His patron answers. A price will be paid. The candle snuffs out.
Crom sinks his axe into the back of the creature that holds his holy companion, only to see its grip tighten. Amarions body twitches as more blood pools below his feet, aloft from the ground. Crom pulls his axe free and suddenly both Amarion and the creature collapse to the ground. Mornington struggles to keep his defensive prowess up as a severe blow lands, knocking him back. The creature looms over him as he begins to hear a crackle in the air then a tearing, like someone ripping cloth made of a hundred hornets. The hairs on the back of Edward's neck stand on end as he looks down the hill, next to Mornington. A dark rift opens, a hole in the fabric of reality, and something begins to crawl through. A devil emerges forth, red waxy skin, curled horns, piercing yellow eyes, and a lopping forked tongue. Six feet tall, it wields an enchanted, icy greatsword that hacks through the air before the creature has even fully stepped into their world. The blade carves through the remaining cadaver horror in one clean motion, splitting the creature in two, the halves dropping to the floor with a wet thud. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone again, slunk back to whatever dark realm it had been summoned from. A price will be paid. His patron answered.
Heaving breaths are all that can be heard once the fighting ends. Mornington quickly aids Amarion with his bardic magic, bringing him back to his senses. He splutters blood and gasps for breath, thanking Eloranos that he still draws breath. Crom notices that parts of their slain enemies are twitching and he proceeds to hack and chop and brutalise the corpse until there is little left. A group effort is made to double down and burn them for good measure.
The party stand around a bonfire of charred flesh, lost for words over the horrors they have just endured. And still, the darkness isn't behind them.
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